Constructing hierarchical fastener-like spheres from anatase TiO2 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets for high-performance dye-sensitized solar cells

241In this work, hierarchical fastener-like spheres layer-by-layer assembled from anatase TiO2 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets have been successfully prepared via a facile one-pot hydrothermal process and used as an efficient scattering layer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs employing this TiO2 HFSs scattering layer achieve conversion efficiency as high as 7.01%, showing 21.3% increment over that derived from DSSCs with commercial P25 photoanode under the same conditions.